There are surely better places to be on a Sunday than an oncology ward – but they do bring out the “fun” food.
And just like that I have completed the majority of my final inpatient stay. Tomorrow marks my final full day at the hospital and by Tuesday evening I will be back home just in time for some merry birthday celebrations.
My oncologist seems to be quite optimistic too since, according to my digital medical file, he has already sent my discharge letter to my GP.
Sundays are perhaps the most relaxed days on this ward. Teams tend to be smaller (except for today, ruining my credibility) and the kitchen throws some treats your way to apologise for you having to spend your Sunday hooked up to your personal poisonous friend.
For starters, you get a croissant on your breakfast tray instead of a simple breadroll. Now, I am an absolute sucker for French pastries and this croissant was even quite decent.
After breakfast, I sat down on my window sill to read one of the books I brought and as the rising sun was warming my upper body, I could almost convince myself that I was sitting on the balcony of my family’s flat in Cannes.
For lunch, I was treated to veggie cannellonis, which really quite good. It really is remarkable how a bit of fun in your food instantly lifts your entire mood.
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, but that I thought was quite interesting: my oncologist brought up “chemo brain” (the brain fog many patients experience during chemotherapy) and he told me, pointing to the stack of books on my table, that the two things that are proven to effectively mitigate the effect are reading and learning a new language. I have been doing both of these throughout my entire treatment – quite the instinct!
The end of this treatment is now firmly in sight. Much health and happiness to y’all, and I’ll see you tomorrow.
just thoughts 